Triatominae bugs: habitat, morphology, medical significance

Why is the kissing bug dangerous?

The main thing that makes the kissing bug dangerous is its ability to infect people and warm-blooded animals with the deadly Chagas disease or trypanosomiasis. Chagas disease is a parasitic infection caused by the single-celled microorganism Trypanosoma cruzi (T. cruzi). The virus enters the body not through a bite, but along with the excrement of the triatomine bug, which the carrier leaves in abundance on the skin of its victim while feeding. The bite of a kissing bug is painless, just like that of a bed bug
. Unaware of the danger, the person begins to scratch the bite site, literally introducing the infection into his body with his own hands.

Triatomine bug bite

A triatomine bug bite is the same as a bed bug bite

or
tropical
, it is not felt in the moment. As a rule, it is discovered only when it begins to itch. The bite marks themselves are somewhat reminiscent of mosquito bites and look like a scattering of red, swollen dots, grouped in one or more areas. If you are allergic to bedbug saliva, irritation and itching may be more pronounced. Due to the fact that triatomine bugs like to bite the most delicate skin of the face - around the lips and eyelids, with large-scale lesions and high sensitivity of the body, these areas can swell more than the thicker areas of skin on the face and neck. Kissing bugs are not limited to just the face and can also bite anywhere on the arms and body where the skin is thin and delicate.

Kissing bug: photo

Depending on the species, the color of insects and the pattern on their back may vary slightly, but in general, all kissing bugs have common characteristic features.

• Larvae and nymphs of kissing bugs look exactly the same as adults, but are smaller in size - from 2 millimeters or more as they grow and develop.
• An adult insect can grow up to 3.5 centimeters in length.
• In a hungry state, the body of the bug is flat, oval or teardrop-shaped.
• As the bug feeds, it swells and gradually acquires a spherical shape.
• The color can be gray, brown or beige; there may be stains, spots, or a tortoiseshell-like pattern on the back.
• The head is darker than the body, very elongated.
• The insect has 6 legs and long black mustaches that extend from the head to the sides almost perpendicular to the body.
• Upon close examination, folded wings can be seen on the back of the bug; insects fly mainly at dusk and at night.

BUGS

Bedbugs

(
Hemiptera
) is an order of the insect class. It is known that St. 20 thousand species of bedbugs leading a terrestrial or aquatic lifestyle. Some species feed on plant juices, others on the blood of animals and humans, and others are predators, destroying insects, mites (predator bugs) and even fish fry (many aquatic bugs, especially smoothie bugs). Among the herbivorous bugs, there are species that cause significant damage to agriculture. cultures. Blood-sucking bedbugs are poisonous insects, and some species also carry (see) pathogens of a number of diseases. The secretion of the salivary glands secreted by bedbugs during the act of blood sucking has a toxic effect.

Bedbugs are insects with incomplete metamorphosis. Their life cycle consists of the following phases: egg, larvae of 5 developmental stages and adults (imago). Of greatest practical interest to medicine are the bugs of two families: Cimicidae and Triatomidae - brownie (nest-burrow) parasites that lie in wait and attack humans. Bedbugs of all species of these families are obligate bloodsuckers, from which both larvae of all stages of development and adults feed on blood.

Typical representatives of the family. Cimicidae: bedbug (Cimex lectularius), tropical bedbug (C. rotundatus), bat bug (C. pipistrelli), swallow bug (Oeciacus hirundinis), sometimes penetrating into human homes, etc. Bedbugs of the family. Triatomidae are distributed almost exclusively in tropical and subtropical regions of America. Known approx. 100 species and subspecies of these K., a third of which are carriers of American trypanosomiasis (see), or Chagas disease (see Chagas disease). Of these, the main species are Rhodnius prolixus, Triatoma infestans, Panstrongylus megistus. Often triatomine K. are also considered as a subfamily Triatominae of the more extensive and ubiquitous family of predatory bugs (Reduviidae), which also includes species such as Reduvius personatus, parasitic Ch. arr. on non-insects (including bed bugs), and Phonergastes bicolori pes, which destroys Ornithodorus moubata ticks, carriers of relapsing fever spirochetes. These species can also attack humans.

Rice. 1. Cimex lectularius - bed bug (female - natural size 5-6 mm).

Bed bugs

- small wingless insects of red-brown color, approx. 6 and width approx. 3 mm (Fig. 1). The body is strongly flattened, which allows K. to penetrate narrow crevices. Bed bugs live in furniture, crevices and cracks in walls, floors and ceilings, burrows and nests of synanthropic rodents and birds, and in vivariums; their presence can be determined by excrement in the form of black-brown spots. One female lays several hundred eggs during her life. The duration of development from egg to adult is from 1 to 2.5 months. and depends on the air temperature and the timing of nutrition. Low temperatures do not kill K., and at t°-21° rigor sets in.

Bed bugs are usually active at night; in search of food they can crawl quite long distances. K. bite mainly open areas of the body, often piercing the skin several times in search of a suitable place, and drink from 0.5 (1st stage larvae) to 7 µl of blood (imago). K. are capable of long-term fasting (up to a year), especially at low temperatures. Under optimal conditions, adult K. can live up to 14 months.

Bedbug bites often cause itching, blistering and scratching; During mass reproduction, bed bugs cause anxiety to people and deprive them of normal sleep and rest. There is no reliable data on the transmission of vector-borne diseases by bed K., although it is known that K. can retain pathogens of plague, typhus and relapsing fever, Q fever, tularemia, etc.

The fight against bed bugs consists of preventive and exterminatory measures. Preventive measures are aimed at preventing the appearance and reproduction of K.; they include systematic repairs of premises, sealing cracks and plastering walls, ceilings, updating and gluing wallpaper, systematic cleaning of premises, mandatory disinfestation of furniture, mattresses and other things transported to new apartments from old ones infected with K. Extermination measures include various types of physical. and chem. means of control: burning metal beds, brick and adobe walls with a blowtorch fire, treating wooden products with boiling water or hot steam, cleaning upholstered furniture and carpets by beating or using vacuum cleaners. From chem. The most commonly used means of combating K. are the preparations HCHCH, chlorophos, metaphos, trichlorometaphos-3, etc. (see Insecticides).

Rice. 2. Rhodnius prolixus - triatomine bug (female - natural size 20-25 mm).

Triatomine bugs

significantly larger than bedding ones: body length from 15 to 34 mm (Fig. 2).

They are often brightly colored and their wings are half chitinized.

Triatomine K., as well as bed K., are nocturnal, attacking sleeping animals or people, and their bite is painless and a sleeping person does not wake up from the bite. They often bite near the eyes and on the lips, hence their other name “kissing bugs.” Bites are accompanied by severe itching and swelling, and in people with hypersensitivity, also a rash on the body, swelling of the face, palpitations, shortness of breath, rapid pulse and even loss of consciousness; repeated stings may cause an even more severe reaction. During a massive attack of triatomine carcinomas, people also suffer from blood loss, since the largest species suck out up to 4 ml of blood at one time.

Triatomine bugs are involved in the transmission of American trypanosomiasis (see). In K.'s intestines, trypanosomes that enter with the patient's blood are transformed into metacyclic forms, which are then excreted with K.'s excrement. Human infection occurs when trypanosomes get on the mucous membranes, in a wound from a bite or scratch.

The fight against triatomine K. includes the same measures as the fight against bed K.

Bibliography:

Multi-volume guide to microbiology, clinic and epidemiology of infectious diseases, ed. N. N. Zhukova-Verezhnikova, vol. 9, p. 777, M., 1968; Insecticide resistance and vector control, Technical Series. report No. 443, p. 295, Geneva, WHO, 1972; Guide to Medical Entomology, ed. V. P. Derbeneva-Ukhova, p. 221, M., 1974.

V. N. Danilov.

Biological characteristics of the insect

Triatomine bug

The killer bug is found in South America, mainly in Argentina, Mexico and the southern states of the United States. There are about 130 species in the subfamily of triatomine bugs. Most of them prefer a natural environment and live in trees, rodent burrows, and bird nests, but some species like to settle near residential and outbuildings. The insect has an elongated body 20 mm long of a dark, inconspicuous color, a cone-shaped head and wings, which it uses when necessary (see photo).

The killer bug has a more elongated mouthparts and limbs compared to the bed bug. Despite its large size, it absorbs half as much blood as its bloodthirsty “domestic” relative. In the warm season, the female killer bug lays eggs, from which a wingless nymph hatches, which after 4 molts turns into a full-fledged adult.

During all periods of life, including the adult stages, triatomine bugs feed on blood. They begin their parasitic hunting after sunset. Having a good sense of smell, they easily find their prey, be it a person or a small animal. They are not capable of piercing thick skin, so killer bugs try to “kiss” the thin skin around the eyes, eyelids, and mucous membranes in the lip area, which is why they got the popular name kissing bugs.

Triatomine bug bites

During the bite, the bug injects an anesthetic and while the feast lasts, the person does not feel anything. To become completely satiated, the triatomine bug needs 15-25 minutes, and all this time its victim will sleep peacefully.

What does it look like

Belonging to the Coleoptera family, the triatomine kissing bug is large or medium in size. The insect has an oblong elongated body (up to 30 mm), a conical head, and wings, with the help of which it can freely move to the desired distance.

Compared to a bed bug, its legs and elongated jaws are longer.

Based on the physiological characteristics, bite marks from kissing bugs are larger in size than those of ordinary bed bugs. It is worth noting that despite the impressive size of the mouthparts, it consumes much less blood than a regular bed bug.

Triatomine bugs lay eggs during warm periods. After the nymphs emerge from them, the insect undergoes 4 periods of molting before an adult is formed. Throughout their lives, parasites feed exclusively on blood.

Possessing an excellent sense of smell, bedbugs easily find their prey (animals or humans). The feeding apparatus is designed in such a way that the kissing bug cannot bite through too dense areas of the victim’s skin.

Therefore, during the hunt, insects try to find the most delicate areas of the skin; their bites are often found around the lips and eyes.

Triatomine bug: habitat and characteristic features

There are more than 130 species of such insects. All of them belong to the family of predators. However, only some of these pests carry Chagas disease. Pests live in hidden areas: they prefer the burrows of tree rats, as well as armadillos. They are less common on trees. The triatomine bug (another name is the killer) often lives near bats, birds, sloths, and opossums.

Such insects pose a danger to people. They attack when a person is sleeping. However, this is only possible if the insect can easily reach the victim. When pests find themselves close to people, they prefer to settle in the walls of adobe buildings or inside unfurnished dwellings, under mattresses or stones, inside dog kennels. The killer bug prefers to attack outside the city or in rural areas.

The pest is larger in size

Most insects are of the carnivoran family.

It is distinguished by the dark color of its outer integument, the presence of an elongated body, 3 pairs of paws and bulging eyes. It is impossible to see him in the evening. A characteristic feature upon contact with a pest is the appearance of bite marks on the face: mainly in the area of ​​the mouth, eyes, and nose.

The kissing bug reacts to carbon dioxide, which is emitted by warm-blooded creatures. Kissing bugs prefer to be in inaccessible places.

Countries where the kissing bug lives

Such insects are not found on Russian territory. The triatomine bug is found in North (more in the middle) and South America. It can move by means of wings, in this way it spreads across neighboring territories. The insect is most often found in Mexico, the USA, and rarely in Canada. This pest also lives in other Latin American countries:

• Argentina;
• Panama;
• Paraguay;
• Peru;
• Belize;
• Bolivia;
• Brazil;
• French Guiana;
• Guatemala;

• Guyana;
• Nicaragua;
• Suriname;
• Colombia;
• Costa Rica;
• Ecuador;
• Salvador;
• Honduras;
• Venezuela.

The closer

geographically to the south pole of the planet, the higher the probability of encountering insects of this family.

For this reason, cases of Chagas disease also appear in Russia, the symptoms of which appear in full later, when a person returns home from a trip where he was bitten by a pest.

This is due to the fact that the triatomine bug is a carrier of infection. If you come into contact with him in another country, it may turn out that Chagas disease develops as a result. A person will find out about this later, already at home.

How to identify a kissing bug

Pests stand out from the rest (bed parasites, stink bugs, etc.) by their longer legs, narrow heads, flat body of small width, and color. External signs:

• body color can vary: from dark brown to black;
• on the back you can see orange or red stripes with dots on the sides;
• an adult reaches 3.5 cm in length, but smaller triatomine bugs are more common - 2 cm;
• there are wings, rarely orange spots can be seen on them;

• the head is characterized by a cone-shaped shape, it is black, like the paws, and has a significant length;
• The eyes of the pests are quite large and black, which makes them difficult to see against the background of the head;
• there are no spines on the paws; they are smooth but long.

Triatomine bugs of different species differ in color. The color is determined by the type of pest. Some are black, others are dark brown.

Different types of kissing bugs differ in color

What insects are kissing bugs most often confused with?

Several relatives of other families have been noted that have similar features to the triatomine killer:

• bed parasites: they are characterized by a brown color, have a flat body, 3 pairs of legs, they also attack humans and drink blood, but the color of the shell is slightly lighter and the body shape is more round, and such insects do not cause harm other than discomfort;
• American maple beetles (name in Latin - Ácer negúndo): the body shape and color are quite reminiscent of a triatomine insect, however, there are no pronounced orange-red stripes on the back; such colors can be seen on the chitinous covers, but they are evenly distributed on different parts of the back in the form spots;
• wheel beetles: characterized by a black or dark gray color, the body shape is the same as that of the killer bug, but the head is wide, on which you can see, upon closer examination, a protrusion on which the spines are located, and the legs of the first pair are somewhat shorter with hook-shaped large growths;
• The diamondback bug only looks similar to its dangerous brother, general characteristics: body shape, long legs, but this is where the similarity ends, because the diamondback bug has a lighter (gray) body, there is a diamond-shaped pattern on the back, in addition, this insect has a short neck and a wider head;
• Stink bugs are another type of bug, but the body shape is slightly different, which is largely due to the fact that triatomine bugs are longer, in addition, on the back of stink bugs there is no characteristic pattern for a killer insect;
• edgeworm: the size corresponds to a triatomine insect, but the body shape is slightly different - the pest is wide, there is no semblance of a waist, and the hind legs are significantly thickened and resemble tree leaves; edgeworms are similar to their dangerous counterparts due to their black and orange color, but bright spots are located in other places - on the paws and antennae.

Morphology and life cycle

The body size of these parasites is usually no more than 2 cm, but they have long limbs and wings that allow them to fly.

The color is dark and inconspicuous. The head is cone-shaped with a thickened proboscis, which is sensitive to infrared radiation.

Thanks to him, they find the warmest places on a person’s face (lips, skin around the eyes) and stick to them, but the main thing is that the bedbugs defecate next to the bite site.

The hunt takes place at night, and a sleepy person, without waking up, scratches the bite site and at the same time rubs kissing bug feces into it, containing trypanosomes - parasitic single-celled organisms that cause Chagas disease.

They are carried throughout the body through the bloodstream and can cause irreversible consequences.

Thus, these flying insects are dangerous not in themselves, but because their excrement contains the causative agent of a dangerous disease, and they act as its hosts.

Their life cycle is quite simple and consists of 5 stages, after each of which the insect moults. After the final stage, it takes on the appearance as in the photo, that is, it turns into an adult with wings.

These insects often live close to human habitation (and potential food sources), as well as in the burrows of small rodents, where they have shelter from insectivores and ready food - the blood of their owners.

Article on the topic: “Filaria”

Causes and background of Chagas disease

The triatomine bug (synonyms: American predator bug, Chagas bug, cone bug, kissing bug) primarily lives in the tropics of Central and South America. Blood-sucking insects of this species are carriers of a dangerous vector-borne parasitic disease - Chagas disease (Chagas) or American trypanosomiasis.

To date, cases of infection of people living on other continents have been recorded. Triatomine bugs have been found in the states of Texas and New Mexico (USA), Canada, Western Pacific countries and some European countries. The spread of the disease is associated with intensive movement of people and the development of tourism.

Triatomine bug

The causative agent of the disease is the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, which, when it enters the human bloodstream, can cause:

• changes in cardiac activity;
• disturbances in the digestive activity of the body;
• damage to the nervous system.

In some cases, mixed symptoms are observed. At the onset of the disease, parasites circulate in large numbers in the human blood, gradually affecting the muscles of the digestive tract (esophagus and colon), heart muscle, cells of the nervous system and a number of other organs.

In the absence of timely treatment, Chagas disease becomes chronic, causing heart failure and, in some cases, the death of the patient.

Children and young people under 30 years of age are most susceptible to the disease.

Symptoms

At each stage of this infectious disease, patients may exhibit different symptoms. This category of patients may exhibit different signs of pathology, which significantly complicates the diagnostic process, since specialists have to differentiate this disease from other diseases.

Modern medicine knows three stages of development of protozoal vector-borne infection:

In the chronic form of protozoal vector-borne infection, patients may exhibit the following symptoms:

1. The temperature is rising.
2. Feverish conditions develop.
3. Swelling appears, which is localized in the face and in the upper and lower extremities.
4. Infiltration occurs in tissues.
5. A severe headache develops.
6. Allergic rashes characteristic of urticaria or dermatitis appear on the skin.
7. Patients experience difficulty swallowing.
8. Pathologies such as arrhythmia, hepatosplenomegaly, and cardiomyopathy develop.
9. Irreversible changes occur in the nervous system.
10. Patients experience pain in the lower and upper extremities, in joint and muscle tissues.
11. The organs of vision, corners of the lips and places typical for insect bites become inflamed.
12. There is dysfunction in muscle tissue.
13. The functioning of the heart is disrupted, resulting in lymphadenitis.
14. Degenerative changes occur in various internal organs.
15. Joint pathologies develop.
16. If a pregnant woman gets sick, she may have a stillborn baby or go into premature labor.
17. Babies may experience bleeding in the meninges.
18. There is a possibility of sudden death.

Chagas disease

Chagas disease is a parasitic infectious disease caused by single-celled microorganisms Trypanosoma cruzi. The virus enters a person’s bloodstream not only through a bite. Triatomine flying bugs are carriers of Chagas disease.

Even simple contact of a person’s skin with an insect or its excrement, which he leaves while feeding, can lead to infection. Therefore, taking it with bare hands is strictly prohibited.

Reference. According to WHO, the infection has already affected about 6-7 million people, and there is no vaccine for it yet.

How can you get Chagas disease?

The causative agent of the disease is the flagellate trypanosome. This protozoan parasite is found in tropical and subtropical climates. It enters the bedbug when it bites an infected person or animal.

Trypanosome lives in the body of the bug throughout its life. After one to two weeks, the insect can transmit the parasite.

One way to become infected with the parasite is through the bite of a triatomine bug. During the bite, it injects an anesthetic into the body, so the person does not feel pain and does not notice that he has been bitten. The insect stays on the host's body for 15-20 minutes. After feeding, it defecates on the skin; trypanosomes can be transmitted through feces. It penetrates the skin through microcracks in the mucous membranes or when carelessly rubbed into the eyes.

The infection can also enter the body in other ways:

• by contacting triatomine bug feces on food;
• through an infected pregnant woman to a child;
• by transfusion of contaminated blood;
• accidental contamination during laboratory research.

Diagnosis of Chagas disease

For timely detection and treatment of this disease, the following laboratory tests are performed:

• studying the patient's blood under a microscope;
• carrying out a serological reaction;
• peripheral blood examination.

Symptoms

Chagas disease negatively affects the cardiovascular, nervous system, and gastrointestinal tract. It is characterized by the appearance of the following symptoms:

• Strong headache;
• heat;
• swollen lymph nodes;
• decrease in pressure;
• diarrhea;
• nausea;
• redness of the skin;
• itching;
• dyspnea;
• pain in the abdominal cavity and chest;
• swelling.

Rarely, the initial stage of the disease is not accompanied by any symptoms at all. But parasites are still present in the blood.

Without timely treatment, the disease becomes chronic and gradually destroys all body systems, ultimately leading to death.

Treatment

Chagas disease is considered incurable. However, in the early stages it can be combated with the help of the drugs Nifurtimox and Benznidazole. These drugs are antiprotozoal and are agents that kill single-celled parasites.

In the chronic stage, these drugs are useless. But maintenance therapy can be carried out.

Prevention

There is still no vaccine for the infection, but the most effective way to protect against it is prevention. People at risk should adhere to the following rules:

• use a special mesh for windows and sleeping areas;
• maintain personal hygiene;
• undergo thorough examinations before blood transfusions and organ transplants;
• take permethrin-based products.

If parasites are detected, to protect your home, use products containing cypermethrin, cyfluthrin, deltamethrin and lambda-cyhalothrin and fenpropathrin.

Phases of the disease

Chagas disease has two forms:

1. chronic (lasting up to 20 years);
2. acute (4-8 weeks after the bite).

The acute stage manifests itself with the following symptoms:

• upset stomach, vomiting;
• enlarged lymph nodes;
• headache;
• inflammation of the bite site;
• elevated temperature;
• pale skin.

There are common cases when the acute stage of the disease was not accompanied by symptoms.

Signs of chronic trypanosomiasis:

• loss of appetite;
• muscle pain;
• swelling of the arms or legs;
• loss of consciousness, dizziness;
• dyspnea;
• pain in the abdomen and chest area;
• constant fatigue.

To be able to be cured of a complex illness, consult a doctor after several symptoms appear. Timely treatment will allow you to fully recover from the disease transmitted by the kissing bug.

Damage from a bedbug

The kissing killer itself is not dangerous; its metabolic products, that is, excrement containing intracellular organisms - trypanosomes, pose a threat to the lives of people and animals. While feeding, bedbugs often defecate near the bite. The person begins to comb the damaged area and brings the bug droppings into the fresh wound, through which the parasites enter his body, where they immediately begin to actively reproduce.

To protect yourself from trypanosome infection, every traveler planning to tour the countries of South America should know the following basic precautions:

1. It is better to sleep outdoors or in the house under a canopy made of mosquito nets with small holes.
2. You need to go for a walk in closed clothes and shoes, and don’t forget about hats.
3. It is better to avoid excursions to areas with dilapidated houses and buildings made of clay.
4. It is worth spraying things and skin with repellents: they will repel insects. Use special repellents to protect against triatomine bug bites
5. It is better to avoid using perfumes and eau de toilette, as parasites are attracted to strong odors.
6. You cannot take off your shoes to walk barefoot on the grass. Even if the clearing seems clean, it may not be so.
7. It is better to avoid dense bushes and trees.
8. Avoid approaching animal burrows and bird nests, or turning over large rocks.
9. Staying outside at night is quite dangerous.
10. All doors and windows should be closed at night.

If, nevertheless, the bug managed to bite someone, you need to treat the wound as quickly as possible with some kind of disinfectant or antiseptic. Under no circumstances should you scratch it! Also, do not rinse the bite with water from nearby sources or apply plant leaves or grass to it.

A physician from Brazil, Carlos Chagas, learned that trypanosomes are often found in the intestines of triatomine bugs. He discovered this while examining infected patients, after which he independently examined and described this infection, so it received the name Chagas disease.

In this video you will learn more about bedbugs:

Treatment of bites

Chagas disease has several stages:

• acute lasts about 2 months, can occur without the manifestation of the above symptoms;
• The chronic phase is characterized by the development and proliferation of parasites in the heart muscle and digestive system, resulting in the gradual destruction of vital organs.

Treatment of the disease is possible if it is detected in the acute stage. If the process of disease development enters the chronic stage, cure is impossible. There are only methods for prolonging life that alleviate the patient’s condition.

What is Chagas disease?

Chagas disease (trypanosomiasis) is a disease caused by a bug bite. As the infection progresses, symptoms change.

At the initial stage, they may be completely absent or appear as:

1. headache;
2. increased body temperature;
3. swollen bite site;
4. enlarged lymph nodes.

If you do not see a doctor in time, after an average of 10 weeks, the disease enters the chronic stage. In 60-70% of people no further symptoms are observed. Speaking about the remaining 30-40% of infected citizens, it should be noted that after several decades their heart ventricles enlarge. This leads to heart disease and heart failure.

Approximately 10% of patients experience enlargement of the colon and esophagus. This reaction of the human body is very different from diseases caused by insects living in our climate zone.

Treating a bite at home

In addition to the fact that a person can be bitten by a triatomine bug, there are other ways of infection:

• through poorly washed products;
• from mother to child during childbirth, during breastfeeding;
• during blood transfusion.

Since the chronic stage of the disease can last from several months to ten years, the following drugs are used for the normal functioning of the gastrointestinal tract and heart muscle:

• Nufutrimox;
• Benzidazole.

Depending on the symptoms and degree of damage, doctors prescribe symptomatic and pathogenic therapy. If the disease is protracted, medications aimed at combating parasites have no effect, so the main treatment is aimed at restoring vital organs.

Modern medications are also used for treatment, blocking the vital activity and reproduction of parasites in the body.

Preventive measures

It is currently impossible to completely eliminate the parasite, because there are too many infected animals in the world.

To protect yourself from the triatomine bug bite and therefore Chagas disease, you should take the following precautions:

• destroy bedbugs by treating buildings and yards with special insecticidal preparations;
• when visiting South American countries and other bedbug habitats, avoid old clay buildings, as kissing bugs often live in them;
• use protective measures to avoid bedbug bites, for example, sleep with a special mesh canopy over the bed;
• wash food thoroughly or cook it before consumption;
• treat damaged areas with antiseptic agents;
• check blood before transfusion or organ transplantation;
• carry out screening of pregnant women and newborns.

Triatomine bug in its natural environment

When traveling to countries where triatomine bugs live, you need to take extra precautions. In particular, before walking outside the city, you need to wear the most closed clothing and shoes, as well as a hat. You need to use insect repellents. You should not put on perfume before a walk, as a strong aroma can attract parasites. Try not to touch animal nests and burrows, and do not turn over stones.

It is better to avoid walking at night and sleep exclusively with the windows closed.

If suddenly a bug does bite you, then under no circumstances should you scratch the bite site (note that the itching will be severe). In addition, it is necessary to treat the area with an antiseptic.

Triatomine bugs are considered one of the most dangerous insects in the world, as they are carriers of Chagas disease, for which there is currently no vaccine.

How to remove bedbugs?

The Internet is now full of information about many ways to independently exterminate house bugs, but if you dig deeper and turn to thousands of reviews after all these manipulations, it becomes clear that without the use of professional means and treatment methods, it is practically impossible to get rid of these parasites. In order to forget about this problem once and for all, we strongly recommend turning to professionals and, for a small amount of money, solving the problem of bedbugs once and for all!

Recommendations

With the development of the tourism sector, Russians are increasingly visiting other continents, including those inhabited by triatomine bloodsuckers. In order not to spoil your trip and not suffer from its consequences, when going to the countries of South America, you need to arm yourself with knowledge about dangerous insects.

To avoid a deadly encounter

, it is recommended:

1. Wear clothing that covers your legs and arms. The head also needs to be protected with any hat.
2. Purchase and use special products to repel bedbugs and other insects.
3. To avoid attracting bloodsuckers, do not apply perfume to your skin;
4. Remain in closed shoes, even if there is a strong temptation to walk barefoot on soft grass.
5. Avoid tall thickets and dense bushes, do not touch low-hanging tree branches.
6. Fight curiosity to take a closer look at animal homes: burrows, hollows, etc.
7. When it gets dark, stay indoors if possible.
8. Do not try to take a closer look at the old rickety buildings.
9. Close windows at night.

If you are unable to avoid a triatomine bug bite, follow the following procedure:

• immediately after discovering a bite, use soap and running water to wash the wound;
• make a lotion from a mixture of soda and water to relieve swelling;
• soda can be replaced with ice, which must be kept on the wound for at least half an hour;
• monitor your general condition: if you notice dizziness, attacks of nausea and vomiting, rapid heartbeat and shortness of breath, seek medical help immediately.

Important!

Do not scratch the itchy area under any circumstances. If there is no clean water nearby, do not look for the nearest body of water. It is also not recommended to apply freshly picked herbs or leaves to the wound.

Remember: the bite of the triatomine bug is fatal. Therefore, it is better to avoid meeting him than to look for ways of treatment later and not be cured.

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Triatomide bug

Triatomine bugs are an extremely rare phenomenon in Russia. They live only on the South American continent, so the likelihood of meeting them in more northern latitudes tends to zero. But there is a possibility that the parasite will be accidentally brought to Russia from America - in this situation, there is a possibility of a bite in the first day after arrival.

If you like to travel and often visit warm countries, then remember this danger. To protect yourself from the parasite, you need to follow a few simple rules:

• when going outside, especially into the forest, wear as closed clothing as possible;
• be sure to use broad-spectrum repellents; when staying outdoors for a long time, periodically renew the layer of protection;
• do not use perfume, especially sweet perfume, as the smell attracts bugs;
• do not walk barefoot;
• Close windows or use mosquito nets at night.

But even such precautions cannot completely protect against a parasite bite. If you discover that a bug has bitten you, immediately take protective measures:

• wash the wound with warm water and soap;
• make a mixture of baking soda and water and apply it over the bite to disinfect;
• you can use ice, which is kept on the wound for at least 30 minutes;
• If you notice that your condition is getting worse, contact your doctor immediately - this will help save your life.

Triatomine flying bugs are carriers of only one disease, but it is quite serious. Its symptoms are very severe, and if treatment is not started in a timely manner, death will follow. At the same time, the disease itself is very difficult to treat and can undermine the body’s systems from several months to several years. It is possible to get rid of the disease quickly and 100% only if you detect the bite immediately and immediately seek medical help.

Adult sizes range from 1.5 to 3.5 cm; If you look at the kissing bug in the photo, the enlarged eyes and proboscis look especially threatening.

The triatomid has piercing-sucking type proboscis with receptors that respond to environmental temperature. With their help, the insect selects the hottest areas of the human body to bite. The bite itself is completely painless, but can last up to 15 minutes.

The main danger is not the parasite's bite, but its feces.

While feeding, the insect can excrete its excrement on the human body, which contains microorganisms that can cause Chagas disease in humans.

What is Chagas disease

The causative agent of the disease is the protozoan microorganism Trypanosoma cruzi. The virus can be transmitted both through insect vectors and from mother to child during pregnancy or childbirth.

The disease occurs in two stages. A short period of time after infection, the patient develops a fever, accompanied by severe upset of the digestive system. Symptoms can be treated with medication or you can wait until they go away on their own. If proper treatment is not carried out, the disease enters the chronic stage. It can last from 10 to 20 years, without any noticeable manifestations. But at any time during the chronic stage, severe damage to the gastrointestinal tract or heart muscle can occur.

Such attacks are often fatal, especially in the absence of normal medical care. According to statistics, about 18 million people are infected with Chagas disease, and the annual mortality rate is approximately 50 thousand people.